JP4750797B2 - Antigen supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an antigen supply apparatus, and more particularly to an antigen supply apparatus for an antigen exposure chamber.

An antigen exposure chamber in which a predetermined amount of antigen is supplied in order to expose a test subject to an antigen is used for research tests on diseases such as allergies. In order to supply the antigen to the antigen exposure chamber, an antigen supply device is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional antigen supply device supplies the antigen directly from the dust feeder into the antigen exposure chamber or the air conditioning duct. It is based on the method of supplying the water into the inside, and it cannot be washed with water. (For example, see Non-Patent Document 1)
As described above, the conventional antigen supply apparatus is merely for unilaterally supplying the antigen into the room, so that the indoor antigen concentration is not uniform (see the concentration distribution diagram of FIG. 1). Also, when changing the type of antigen, it is difficult to wash, and if the antigen used before remains in the duct and resprays, or if the attached antigen remains for a long period of time, mold will form on the antigen I was doing.

  Furthermore, if the conventional apparatus is not sufficiently dried, the humidity in the exposure chamber cannot be controlled during the subsequent exposure operation, and further, the antigen may adhere to the water droplets and the rise in the indoor concentration may be affected. there were.

Furthermore, there is also a problem that antigens are likely to adhere unless special measures are taken for static electricity.
None Ide: Development of cedar pollen scattering device for medical research, environmental technology, Vol.32, No.3, pp.33-37, 2003

  An object of the present invention is to provide an antigen supply apparatus for supplying an antigen to an antigen exposure chamber that has solved the problems in the antigen supply apparatus according to the prior art described above.

  In order to achieve the above object, an antigen supply apparatus according to the present invention is installed in the vicinity of an outside air outlet of the antigen exposure chamber, and receives a high concentration of antigen supplied from a dust feeder outside the antigen exposure chamber. The mixture is diluted with the antigen-exposed room air sucked from the air, then blown out toward the outside air outlet, and mixed with the outside air from the outside air outlet to fill the antigen-exposed room.

  Specifically, the antigen supply apparatus according to the present invention is mainly configured by a cylindrical body extending in the vertical direction, and an air suction port for sucking air in the antigen exposure chamber is provided at the lower end of the cylindrical body. An axial fan that generates an air flow that flows upward in the axial direction of the cylindrical body is attached above the air suction port of the cylindrical body, and further above the axial fan of the cylindrical body. Is provided with a supply port through which a high concentration of antigen is ejected from a dust feeder outside the antigen exposure chamber. The antigen supply apparatus is installed in the vicinity of the outside air outlet of the antigen exposure chamber, and the high concentration antigen supplied from the dust feeder outside the antigen exposure chamber is in the antigen exposure chamber where the antigen is sucked from the air suction port. After being diluted with air, the antigen exposure chamber is filled by blowing out from the upper end of the cylindrical body toward the outside air outlet and mixing with the outside air from the outside air outlet.

  The antigen supply apparatus of the present invention further includes a cleaning water pipe for supplying cleaning water for cleaning the inside of the cylindrical body to the cylindrical body, a drain for cleaning water for draining the cleaning water, May be included. It is preferable that the cleaning water supply port is provided at the upper part and the lower part of the cylindrical body so that the entire cylindrical body can be efficiently cleaned.

  It is preferable that the supply port through which a high concentration antigen is ejected from the dust feeder is provided at the upper end of the cylindrical body. One type or several types of antigens may be supplied.

  Furthermore, the cylindrical body is preferably composed of a member made of a metal or a conductive resin in order to prevent adhesion of an antigen due to static electricity or the like.

  The antigen supply apparatus according to the present invention is preferably installed in the center of the room below the outside air outlet of the antigen exposure room. Moreover, the antigen supply apparatus according to the present invention may be of a type that is suspended from the ceiling of the antigen exposure chamber by a hanging rod or the like, or may be of a type that is installed on the floor of the antigen exposure chamber.

Invention effect

  By adopting the configuration as described above, the antigen supply device according to the present invention can obtain a more uniform indoor antigen concentration distribution with a faster rise time than the conventional device. In addition, since the installation method is simple, the installation location can be easily changed.

  Furthermore, since the apparatus is composed of components made of metal or conductive resin, it is possible to prevent antigens from adhering due to static electricity.

  Furthermore, since the antigen can be washed away by washing with washing water, it is possible to rapidly shift to different types of antigen exposure without causing the antigen to remain attached and re-scatter or mold. In addition, it is preferable to use pure water as washing water so as not to leave stains, residues and the like.

  Further, by adopting a waterproof axial flow fan that can be washed with water, automatic drying is possible by turning the fan after washing with water. Since the drying can be performed quickly by rotating the axial fan, the humidity control in the exposure chamber can also be performed quickly and accurately without being affected by the residual moisture.

It is the figure which showed the structure, arrangement | positioning, and antigen concentration distribution of the conventional antigen supply apparatus. It is a block diagram of 1st Embodiment of the antigen supply apparatus of this invention. It is the figure which showed arrangement | positioning and antigen concentration distribution of the antigen supply apparatus shown by FIG. It is a block diagram of 2nd Embodiment of the antigen supply apparatus of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram for comparing the rise time of the antigen concentration in the antigen exposure chamber when the height of the antigen supply nozzle is changed, and FIG. 5 shows a case where the antigen supply nozzle is provided at the lower end of the antigen supply apparatus. . FIG. 6 is a diagram for comparing the rise time of the antigen concentration in the antigen exposure chamber when the height of the antigen supply nozzle is changed, and FIG. 6 shows a case where the antigen supply nozzle is provided at the upper end of the antigen supply apparatus. .

Explanation of symbols

1, 1 'antigen supply device, A antigen exposure chamber, 2 outside air outlet,
3 cylindrical duct, 4 antigen supply nozzle, 5 air inlet,
6 Axial fan, 7 Washing water supply pipe, 8 Electric valve,
9 Washing water injection nozzle, 10 Washing water drain,
11 Trap with antigen filter, 12 Ceiling rod

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the antigen supply apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a layout diagram showing the method of installing the antigen supply apparatus according to this embodiment and a distribution chart showing the concentration distribution of the antigen in the antigen exposure chamber when this apparatus is used. The antigen supply apparatus according to this embodiment is of a type installed on the floor surface of the antigen exposure chamber. As shown in FIG. 3, the antigen supply apparatus 1 includes the outside air outlet 2 at the center of the antigen exposure chamber A. It is installed on the floor below. As can be seen from the layout diagram of FIG. 3, a high concentration antigen supplied from a dust feeder provided outside the antigen exposure chamber A was introduced from the upper part of the antigen supply apparatus 1 and diluted and adjusted by the antigen supply apparatus 1. The antigen is blown out from the antigen supply device and mixed with the outside air blown out from the outside air outlet 2 of the antigen exposure chamber to fill the entire antigen exposure chamber.

  Next, details of the antigen supply apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the antigen supply apparatus 1 has a long cylindrical structure extending in the vertical direction as a whole. A cylindrical duct 3 is provided in the upper part of the antigen supply apparatus 1, and high concentration antigens (for example, cedar pollen, mite antigen particles, house dust, etc.) from a dust feeder provided outside the antigen exposure chamber A are received. The antigen supply nozzle 4 provided at the upper end of the cylindrical duct 3 is jetted and supplied downward. The cylindrical duct 3 is formed of metal or conductive resin so that antigens such as cedar pollen do not adhere due to static electricity. On the other hand, an air suction port 5 is provided below the cylindrical duct 3 at the lower end of the antigen supply apparatus 1, and an axial fan 6 is provided above the air suction port 5 and at the lower end of the cylindrical duct 3. ing. Accordingly, the rotation of the axial flow fan 6 forms a flow of air that flows upward in the longitudinal direction in the antigen supply device 1, and the air in the antigen exposure chamber A is passed through the air suction port 5 by the air flow. It is sucked into 1. With such a configuration, in the cylindrical duct 3, there is an upward flow of air in the antigen exposure chamber A via the air inlet 5 and a downward flow of high concentration antigen from the dust feeder via the antigen supply nozzle 4. It collides and is moderately mixed and diluted, and finally exits from the antigen supply apparatus 1. The air containing the appropriately diluted antigen that has flowed out from above the antigen supply apparatus 1 is introduced from the outside air outlet 2 provided on the ceiling surface of the antigen exposure chamber A above the antigen supply apparatus 1. And the whole inside of the antigen exposure chamber A is filled.

  The antigen supply apparatus 1 is further provided with a washing water supply pipe 7 for washing away the used antigen and the like. As shown in the figure, the cleaning water supply pipe 7 is supplied with cleaning water from a cleaning water supply source (not shown) via an electric valve 8 at the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical duct 3. It is piped to blow out from. Furthermore, a drain 10 for washing water for draining washing water is provided at the lower end of the antigen supply apparatus 1. The washing water drain 10 collects the washing water obtained by washing the antigen supply device, and is discharged out of the antigen exposure chamber through the trap 11 with the antigen filtering device. With such a configuration, after the antigen exposure chamber A is used by experiments or the like, washing water is jetted from the upper and lower sides of the apparatus via the washing water jet nozzle 9 to cleanly wash the used antigen, and then the axial fan 6 Can be dried, and the antigen exposure chamber can be quickly made ready for the next experiment.

  The distribution diagram shown in the lower part of FIG. 3 shows the concentration distribution of the antigen when the antigen supply apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 is used in the arrangement shown in the upper part of FIG. As is apparent from this distribution chart, the antigen concentration distribution when the antigen supply apparatus according to the present invention is used is remarkably uniform as compared with the concentration distribution by the conventional antigen supply method shown in the lower part of FIG. Recognize.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the antigen supply apparatus of the present invention. This embodiment is configured to be suspended from the ceiling of the antigen exposure chamber. As can be seen from the figure, the antigen supply device 1 ′ is suspended through a ceiling rod 12 below the outside air outlet 2 provided on the ceiling of the antigen exposure chamber. The ceiling rod 12 is fixed to the cylindrical duct 3 of the antigen supply apparatus 1 '. The other configuration of the antigen supply apparatus 1 ′ is the same as that of the antigen supply apparatus 1 of FIG. 2, and is therefore indicated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 2. Since these functions are also the same, description thereof will be omitted. The difference from the antigen supply apparatus 1 in FIG. 2 is that the washing water pipe 7 is piped from the ceiling, because this is a ceiling-suspended type. Further, the whole antigen supply apparatus 1 'is shorter than the antigen supply apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2, but this is also a type in which it is suspended from the ceiling, so that the weight can be reduced as much as possible.

  5 and 6 compare the rise time of the antigen concentration in the antigen exposure chamber when the height of the antigen supply nozzle is changed. FIG. 5 shows a case where the antigen supply nozzle is provided at the lower end portion of the antigen supply device, and FIG. 6 shows a case where the antigen supply nozzle is provided at the upper end portion of the antigen supply device. As is clear from the graphs at the bottom of each figure, when the position of the antigen supply nozzle is low, it takes time for the antigen concentration in the antigen exposure chamber to rise. Therefore, from the viewpoint of rising concentration, it is preferable to install the antigen supply nozzle at a position as high as possible, as shown in each embodiment of the present invention.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to use pure water instead of tap water because washing water can be cleaned cleanly without leaving any scale.

  As mentioned above, although the antigen supply apparatus of this invention was demonstrated in detail by embodiment, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various change and deformation | transformation are possible within the range of the technical idea of this invention.

For example, any antigen can be used as the antigen. It is preferable that the outside air outlet of the antigen exposure chamber is in the center of the chamber, and an antigen supply device is provided immediately below the center, but this is not necessarily limited to this because of the chamber structure.

Claims (5)

An antigen supply apparatus for supplying an antigen to an antigen exposure chamber,
A cylindrical body extending in the vertical direction, provided with an air suction port for sucking air in the antigen-exposed chamber at the lower end, and air flowing upward in the axial direction of the tubular body above the air suction port An axial flow fan for generating a flow is attached, and the cylindrical body is further provided with a supply port for injecting a high-concentration antigen from a dust feeder outside the antigen exposure chamber above the axial flow fan of the cylindrical body. Composed mainly by the body,
Installed in close proximity to the outside air outlet of the antigen exposure chamber and diluted with high-concentration antigen supplied from a dust feeder outside the antigen exposure chamber mixed with air in the antigen exposure chamber sucked from the air inlet. An antigen supply apparatus configured to fill the antigen exposure chamber by being blown out from the upper end of the cylindrical body toward the outside air outlet and mixed with outside air from the outside air outlet. The antigen supply device according to claim 1 ,
A cleaning water pipe for supplying cleaning water for cleaning the inside of the cylindrical body to the cylindrical body;
An antigen supply apparatus further comprising a washing water drain for draining the washing water. The antigen supply device according to claim 1 ,
An antigen supply apparatus, wherein the supply port through which a high concentration of antigen is ejected from a dust feeder is provided at an upper end of the cylindrical body. The antigen supply device according to claim 1 ,
An antigen supply apparatus, wherein the cylindrical body is constituted by a member made of metal or conductive resin. The antigen supply device according to claim 1 ,
An antigen supply apparatus that is suspended from the ceiling of the antigen exposure chamber or installed on the floor of the antigen exposure chamber.

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